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Russian River Flies

Alaska locals..... What are you using on the Russian? The "Russian Flies" that are sold in the stores are junk due to long shank and quick dulling. I am wanting to build something on my own. I know that some people are having great success by choosing to use a size 4 Octopus hook with a little yarn however, the Gamakatsu Size 4 which has the required 3/8" gap seems a little light. What about using a little bigger Octopus hook and bending it to 3/8"?

What are your thoughts about a "Tube Fly" on the Russian". According to the definition of a "Fly" in the regs, it sounds that it would be legal.

I'll Bite - One half dozen of the other. When I go down now which is not very often because of the crowds I actually fish a Olive Woolley Bugger most of the time just because I can and it works and it's light and etc........ That being said Standard Mustad or Gammy if you are actually making a "Russian River Fly" Sparse tied to allow it to sink to the proper depth easier if their is such a thing.

A Lot and I do mean a lot of people have gone to using a Salt Pattern Mysis Shrimp on a short heavy shank hook and seem to be doing a little better than most. Couple of local changes to include straight up Crystal Slash extra Short / extra Strong Gammy i.e. almost like an Egg Hook!

I would not take the time to bend a good hook for the purpose of creating a Russian River Legal Hook and or the pattern however that is just my opinion and of course we all have them.

Buy a pack of Gama C14S globug hooks in size 2. $6 a pack of 25. Get as fancy or as simple as you want with what you tie on it. My go to is just a wire body soft hackle in various colors. Simple "steelhead" nymphs are worthwhile if you want to try for a legitimate bite.

There are some crappy russian river flies and some good ones, the ones from Fred Meyer work great, accounted for every one of my reds last year. I like to use them in the un-restricted parts of the river to keep the snags down...

Limon32.... By "unrestricted" waters, are you talking above the falls?

Mainstream Kenai in Soldotna and Kenai where you can use any size hook. I should have said th "crystal River" brand from fred meyer are mediocre, the ones that are in individual plastic, 12 to a card are the ones I buys, two dozen at a time when they are on sale usually.

Thanks for the info, Wyo. The C14S looks like a great option. I noticed that it has a straight eye. Any opinions between up, down or straight eye hooks?

We only get up to Alaska for a week every year or two so there's not allot of time to experiment. It may become more frequent though if our gun grabbers keep it up here in Colorado. It may be worth directing my CO outdoors dollars towards more trips to your state.

The upturned versus downturned versus straight eye debate has been hashed out amongst fishermen for a long time. Seems not that long ago that 90% of the fly hooks you saw were downturned eyes, the big exception being salmon and steelhead flies. Currently we're seeing MANY more hook styles utilizing the straight eye.

The ol' Gama octopus is the classic upturned eye hook for salmon. It's fine if you're using a snelled knot of some sort... thereby tying the line to the shank of the hook and resulting in a straight transition from hook to line. You don't want tie on straight to the eye of an octopus like typically done with a fly. Yet I see plenty of people tie directly to the eye of upturned salmon/steelhead flies. ??? The traditional salmon irons were intended for use with the Turle knot or riffle hitch knot common in traditional salmon/steelhead fishing, both of which are tied behind the eye on the shank of the hooko at the head of the fly. Both have largely gone out of style for the most part (though riffle hitching is a technique worth keeping in your back pocket).

I digress. People have caught plenty of fish using all styles of hook. Personally, I stick with the downturned or straight eye for fishing sockeye on the Russian or elsewhere. And I've move more or more towards straight eye in most situation. I've pretty much phased out all upturned hooks in my fishing... unless using a snelled knot or similar because the angle of attack is just all wrong.

That was my question as a tube seems to fit within the regs. I contacted a wildlife trooper in Soldotna with the same question. He was not familiar with the tube concept but, after explaining it he said it would be legal and within the regulation on the Russian. The problem I see is the possibility of another trooper having different interpretation of the regs. Any ideas for progressing this?

WYO.... Great info. I do like your concept with the inline eyed hook. Seems that it would be the trick to have the edge over those using the RR flies. I will definitely give it a go this year. Also, I assume that these hooks are readily available in the ANC and Soldotna stores? Or should I be ordering some online?

That was my question as a tube seems to fit within the regs. I contacted a wildlife trooper in Soldotna with the same question. He was not familiar with the tube concept but, after explaining it he said it would be legal and within the regulation on the Russian. The problem I see is the possibility of another trooper having different interpretation of the regs. Any ideas for progressing this?

It isn't up for interpretation, the answer is simply "no" they are not legal in FFO waters.

That was my question as a tube seems to fit within the regs. I contacted a wildlife trooper in Soldotna with the same question. He was not familiar with the tube concept but, after explaining it he said it would be legal and within the regulation on the Russian. The problem I see is the possibility of another trooper having different interpretation of the regs. Any ideas for progressing this?

Tube flies by design are free sliding attractors temporarily joined to the bare hook by the junction tube. They separate from the bare hook upon hookset and that's where it runs afoul of the regs in Fly only waters. The attractor materials have to be permanently attached to the hook itself, not a tube. Refer to the regulation definitions of attractor as well as fly.

You can put in a proposal to the board for making an exemption for tube flies from the current regulations if it means that much to you. They will consider it during the next review period for southcentral regs.